Salaam Alekum or Bonjoir All,
Another day and another train journey. Wandered out of the odd hostel and eventually flagged down a red petit taxi and headed off to the train station. Arrived with minutes to spare. The train carriages were compartmentalised and we found one with only a couple of people.
Later a young well spoken boy, named Lucas, came into the compartment and talked for most of the 4hr trip. He claimed to be from Paris but his story didnt add up and he also had his train ticket 'stolen' by an old woman. He had been found by the ticket inspector and the other gentlemen in the carriage just happened to be railway executives. He was very bright and spoke 3 or 4 languages. May have been a runaway.
What a transition from the desert of Egypt. Spring has sprung early and it is so green that farmers in Australia would weep. Rich black soil; fields of green punctuated with olive groves;the odd donkey can be seen standing in the fields of green with only their head exposed; and fields of grain crops; yellow, orange, mauve and red wildflowers. Little has changed. Shepherds still graze their stock in open fields whilst their faithful dogs watch on patiently. Rubbish is hidden beneath the rampant weeds beside the train tracks giving an impression of tidiness but scratch below the surface and the disrepect for the environment is still there.
We arrived at the train station in the middle of the day and of course were found by the taxi touts very quickily. We fobbed them off then onto the business of negotiating a fair taxi price. Took a while but we managed to get half the original asking price and headed for the old city (medina). The whole town seems to be painted in teracotta colour just like our house and it wasnt long before we were in the fortified walls. The taxi driver dropped us off and of course didnt have change like the thief that his type typify. Unfortunately we werent exactly where we asked to be dropped. Scoundrel. Did we mention that the language of choice in Morocco is french, arabic or berber? we speak none of these.
Found the main square Jaman al faa and looked for a hotel and eventually got led to one by a tout who tried to charge us well above the true room price. We paid correct room price of 120DRH or about AUD21. Nice enough room but a bit odd with a bidet sitting against one wall but it was one street from the main square so convenient.
Hurray. No hassling from the street sellers in the souqs and no taxi horn beeps as we walk around. What a difference from the trauma of Egypt.
The square is filled with orange juice, dried fruit and nut carts and the odd acrobat, snake charmer and monkey on a chain. This is surrounded by skinny little streets and back alleys filled with little shops containing just about anything you might want and there doesnt seem to be much order in the shop grouping. Heaps of fun.
Imagine the wildest hollywood car chase scene and you will see better in the back streets of Marrakech medina. There are mopeds, pushbikes, motorbikes, horse and carriages, donkey and carts and lots of people all moving at various speeds. Then throw in a mini van driving down an impossibly thin street and you have a start.
See the strangest things in the side streets. We saw a wheelbarrel full of oblivious live snails being pushed along to their end; Cow hooves just standing in pairs on a street corner; boa constrictor snakes skins handing in a shop; squirrels in a cage being fed biscuits (pets or dinner?);live lizards and turtles at natural remedy shops; smell of spices in the air.
The square changes in the late afternoon. Food stalls are wheeled out and musicians and other entertainers move in. Oh and freebie bum squeezers after dark as Vanessa found out.
We ate in the main square the first night and found it disappointing. next night again at the square the food was again no good so the night after we found a nice little place full of locals down a back alley and got a fabulous tarjine feed for 12AUD for both of us.
The old palace walls have heaps of storks nesting at the moment. The view was fantastic of the snow capped atlas mountains in the distance.
This place really sucks you in. We have been here for 5 days and still arent bored. We are however planning to head out to the Sahara tomorrow for a self drive adventure!
Still cant kick our chest infections but have been drinking lots of blood orange juice from the square and will boil our samwa (beduin natural remedy) when on the road.
Au revoir
David and Vanessa
